Monthly Archives: August 2018

Says it will set a multi-member expert committee within a week to amicably resolve the farmers’ grievances ‘for all times’

ribune News Servicet

New Delhi, August 22

As deadlock continued on reopening of the Shambhu border where farmers have been camping since February, the Supreme Court on Thursday asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana to hold further meetings with protesting farmers to persuade them to remove their tractors and trolleys to allow the passage of ambulances, senior citizens, women, students, essential services and commuters.

At the outset, Punjab Advocate General Gurminder Singh informed a three-judge Bench led by Justice Surya Kant that in terms of its August 12 order officials of the two states held a meeting with the farmers who have agreed to partial reopening of the blocked highway but they insisted on marching towards Delhi with their tractors and trollies.

The Bench – which also included Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan — asked the two state governments to keep engaging with the protesting farmers and persuade them to remove their tractors and trollies from the highway in order to allow the passage of ambulances, senior citizens, women, students, essential services and commuters.

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While hearing the Haryana Government’s petition challenging the July 10 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court requiring it to remove within a week the barricades at the Shambhu border, the Bench asked Punjab Advocate General Singh and Haryana senior Additional Advocate General Lokesh Sinhal to inform it by the next date about the progress made in the talks with farmers.

Noting that it would set a multi-member expert committee within a week to amicably resolve the farmers’ grievances “for all times”, the Bench asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana to submit tentative issues concerning farmers for consideration of the committee.

The top court also allowed the Punjab Government to submit two-three additional names of “apolitical” and “neutral” persons to be included in the proposed expert committee after Singh said Punjab has suggested the name of one expert and it would like to submit a few more names.

Maintaining that its August 2 interim order to the governments of Punjab and Haryana not to precipitate the situation at the Shambhu border would continue, the Bench posted the matter for September 2.

On August 12, the Supreme Court had ordered the Director Generals of Police of Punjab and Haryana along with the Senior Superintendent of Police of Patiala and Ambala and the Deputy Commissioners of the two districts to hold a meeting within one week for partial opening of the Shambhu border.

“If both sides (Punjab and Haryana) are able to resolve such modalities, they need not wait for any order from this court and let such a resolution be directed immediately, ” the Bench had said.

Before meeting the farmers, DGPs and senior officials of the two states held a meeting on the issue as directed by the top court, the Bench was informed on Thursday.

The Haryana government set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in February after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced a farmers’ march to Delhi in support of their demands, including legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for their produce.

Maintaining that farmers have a right to voice their grievances, the Supreme Court had on August 2 asked the governments of Punjab and Haryana not to precipitate the situation at the Shambhu border near Ambala where farmers have been camping since February. “In a democratic set-up, yes, they have a right to voice their grievances. Those grievances can be voiced at their place also,” it had said.

Highlighting the “trust deficit” between the government and the protesting farmers, Justice Kant had said the issues could be resolved through negotiations.

More than five months after the “unlawful sealing of the border between Haryana and Punjab” to prevent farmers from “protesting peacefully”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had on July 10 directed the state of Haryana to open the Shambhu border on an experimental basis to prevent inconvenience to the general public.

Maintaining that law and order was a state subject under the Constitution, the Haryana Government has contended it’s entirely the state’s responsibility to assess ground realities, threat perception, likelihood of breach of peace and violation of law.

New Delhi, August 19

Former Indian Army Chief General Sundararajan Padmanabhan, who led the force during Operation Parakram — launched to deploy troops along the western borders following a terror attack on Parliament — died at his home in Chennai last night. The Army said General Padmanabhan passed away in Chennai following prolonged illness at the age of 83. Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi condoled the bereaved family.

Known affectionately as “Paddy” among his peers, General Padmanabhan was the Army Chief from September 2000 to December 2002. Operation Parakram was the biggest deployment of the force. After the withdrawal of forces, an assessment resulted in change of war deployment planes and the much-discussed ‘cold-start-doctrine’ that envisages deployment of forces at short notice was introduced.

Born in Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram on December 5, 1940, General Padmanabhan was commissioned into the Regiment of Artillery on December 13, 1959. Maj Gen BS Dhanoa (retd) recounted an incident of 1992 to describe the personality of the former Army Chief.

Gen Dhanoa was then a Captain stationed at Ferozepur. He wrote on X that the Armoured unit mess, close to General Padmanabhan’s house, often saw late night revelry. Dhanoa said: “One day he invited all youngsters to an ‘at home’ one evening and said “you guys know how to enjoy yourselves. I am certain when it comes to action you’ll have as much zeal, if not more.” — TNS

T.R.Ramaswami IAS

We need a permanent solution to this tussle over emoluments so that the armed forces need only confront the enemies of the nation, says T.R.Ramaswami IAS.
In the continuing debate on pay scales for the armed forces, there has to be a serious and transparent effort to ensure that the country is not faced with an unnecessary civil-military confrontation.That effort will have to come from the netas, who are the real and true bosses of the armed forces and not the civil bureaucracy. A solution may lie in what follows. This country requires the best armed forces, the best police and the best civil service. In fact that is what the British ensured.. By best one means that a person chooses which service he wants as per his desires/capabilities and not based on the vast differential in prospects in the various services.
How much differential is there?
Take Maharashtra, one of the most parsimonious with police ranks thus still retaining some merit –
The 1981 IPS batch have become 3-star generals, the 1987 are 2-star and the 1994 1-star.
In the army the corresponding years are 1972, 1975, 1979. ie a differential of 10-15 years. While the differential is more with the IAS, the variance with the IPS is all the more glaring because both are uniformed services and the grades are “visible” on the shoulders.
First some general aspects. Only the armed forces are a real profession, ie where you rise to the top only by joining at the bottom. We have had professors of economics become Finance Secretaries or even Governors of RBI. We have any number of MBBSs,engineers, MBAs, in the police force though what their qualifications lend to their jobs is a moot point. You can join at any level in the civil service, except Cabinet Secretary. A civil servant can move from Animal Husbandry to Civil Aviation to Fertilisers to Steel to yes, unfortunately, even to Defence. But the army never asks for Brigade Commanders or a Commandant of the Army War College or even Director General Military Intelligence, even from RAW or IB. Army officers can and have moved into organizations like IB and RAW but it is never the other way round. MBBS and Law graduates are only in the Medical or JAG Corps and do nothing beyond their narrow areas. Every Army Chief – in any army – has risen from being a commander of a platoon to company to battalion to brigade to division to corps to army.In fact the professionalism is so intense that no non-armoured corps officer ever commands an armoured formation , first and possibly only exception in world military history is General K. Sunderji.Perhaps it is this outstanding professionalism that irks the civil services.
Next, one must note the rigidity and steep pyramid of the army’s rank structure. In the civil services any post is fungible with any grade based on political expediency and the desires of the service. For example I know of one case where one department downgraded one post in another state and up-graded one in Mumbai just to enable someone continue in Mumbai after promotion!
You can’t fool around like this in the armed forces. A very good Brigadier cannot be made a Major-General and continue as brigade commander. There has to be a clear vacancy for a Major General and even then there may be others better than him. Further the top five ranks in the army comprise only 10% of the officer strength. Contrast this with the civil services where entire batches become Joint Secretaries.
Even the meaning of the word “merit” is vastly different in the army and the civil services. Some years back an officer of the Maharashtra cadre claimed that he should be the Chief Secretary as he was first in the merit list.Which merit list? At the time of entry more than 35 years before! The fact is that this is how merit is decided in the IAS and IPS. Every time a batch gets promoted the inter-se merit is still retained as at the time of entry. In other words if you are first in a batch at the time of entry, then as long as you get promoted, you continue to remain first! This is like someone in the army claiming that he should become chief because he got the Sword of Honour at the IMA. Even a Param Vir Chakra does not count for promotion, assuming that you are still alive. In the armed forces, merit is a continuous process – each time a batch is promoted the merit list is redrawn according to your performance in all the previous assignments with additional weightage given not only to the last one but also to your suitability for the next one.Thus if you are a Brigade Commander and found fit to become a Major General, you may not get a division because others have been found better to head a division. That effectively puts an end to your promotion to Lt. General.The compensation package must therefore address all the above issues. In each service, anyone must get the same total compensation by the time he reaches the ‘mode rank’ of his service. “Mode” is a statistical term it is the value where the maximum number of variables fall.
In the IAS normally everyone reaches Director and in the IPS it is DIG. In the army, given the aforementioned rank and grade rigidities and pyramidical structure, the mode rank cannot exceed Colonel. Thus a Colonel’s gross career earnings (not salary scales alone) must be at par with that of a Director. But remember that a Colonel retires at 54, but every babu from peon to Secretary at 60 regardless of performance.Further, it takes 18-20 years to become a Colonel whereas in that time an IAS officer reaches the next higher grade of Joint Secretary, which is considered equal to a Major General.These aspects and others – like postings in non-family stations – must be addressed while fixing the overall pay scales of Colonel and below. Thereafter a Brigadier will be made equal to a Joint Secretary, a Major-General to an Additional Secretary and a Lt. General to a Secretary. The Army Commanders deserve a new rank -Colonel General – and should be above a Secretary but below Cabinet Secretary. The equalization takes place at the level of Cabinet Secretary and Army Chief.
If this is financially a problem I have another solution. Without increasing the armed forces’ scales, reduce the scales of the IAS and IPS till they too have 20% shortage.
Done?
Even India ‘s corruption index will go down.
If the above is accepted in principle, there is a good case to review the number of posts above Colonel. Senior ranks in the armed forces have become devalued with more and more posts being created.But the same pruning exercise is necessary in the IAS and more so inthe IPS, where Directors General in some states are re-writing police manuals eg one is doing Volume I and another Volume II!
Further the civil services have such facilities as “compulsory wait” ie basically a picnic at taxpayers cost. And if you are not promoted or posted where you don’t want to go they seem able to take off on leave with much ease. In the army you will be court-martialled. Also find out how many are on study leave. The country cannot afford this.
Let not someone say that the IAS and IPS exams are tougher and hence the quality of the officers better. An exam at the age of 24 has to be tougher than one at the age of 16. The taxpaying citizen is not interested in your essay/note writing capabilities or whether you know Cleopatra’s grandfather.
As a citizen I always see the army being called to hold the pants of the civil services and the police and never the other way round. That’s enough proof as to who is really more capable. Also recall the insensitive statements made by the IG Meerut in the Aarushi case and the Home Secretary after the blasts. Further, when the IAS and IPS hopefuls are sleeping, eating and studying, their school mates, who have joined the army, stand vigil on the borders to make it possible for them to do so. Remember that the armed forces can only fight for above the table pay. They can never compete with the civil services and definitely not with the police for the under the table variety.
Finally, there is one supreme national necessity. The political class, not the bureaucracy – which represents the real civil supremacy better become more savvy on matters relating to the armed forces. Till then they are at the mercy of the civil service, who frequently play their own little war games. At ministerial level there are some very specialized departments eg Finance, Railways,Security (Home), Foreign and Defence, where split second decisions are necessary. It is always possible to find netas savvy in finance, foreign relations and railways. Security has been addressed in getting a former IPS officer as NSA at the level of a MoS.Is it time that a professional is also brought into the Defence Ministry as MoS? The sooner the better. In fact this will be better than a CoDS because the armed forces will have someone not constrained by the Army Act or Article 33 of the Constitution.Of course the loudest howls will come from the babus. The netas must realize that a divide and rule policy cannot work where the country’s security is concerned. Recall 1962?
Our army, already engaged in activities not core to their functions, including rescuing babies from borewells, should not have to engage in civil wars over their pay scales. I only hope our defence minister or anyone who would take a reasonable stand for defence forces ever gets to see this article.
It would definitely affect any person with an iota of integrity.

Tel Aviv, August 19

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that Israel had accepted a proposal to bridge differences holding up a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza, and he called on Hamas to do the same, without saying whether the latest draft had addressed concerns cited by the militant group.

The high-stakes negotiations have gained speed in recent days as diplomats hope an agreement will deter Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah from avenging the targeted killings of two top militants that were blamed on Israel. The escalating tensions have raised fears of an even more destructive regional war.

Blinken spoke after holding over tw-hour meeting with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu earlier in the day, and will travel to Egypt and Qatar for further negotiations. The three mediators have spent months trying to end the war in Gaza, with the talks repeatedly stalling. He said there are still “complex issues” requiring “hard decisions by the leaders”, without offering specifics. — AP

Gaza truce talks: The sticking points

END OF WAR

Hamas wants an agreement that will guarantee an end to the war in Gaza. Netanyahu has pledged “total victory” and wants the right to resume fighting in the Palestinian enclave until Hamas no longer poses any threat to Israelis.

GAZA-EGYPT BORDER

Hamas seeks a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the so-called Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow 14.5-km-long stretch of land along the coastal enclave’s southern border with Egypt.

RETURN OF DISPLACED

Israel wants displaced Palestinians to be screened as they return to the enclave’s more heavily populated north when the ceasefire begins, to make sure they are unarmed. Hamas demands free movement for Palestinians.

HOSTAGE RELEASE

The three-phased ceasefire plan includes the release of 33 hostages under a humanitarian category in the first stage. Netanyahu has said he wants to maximise the number of living captives that will be freed at this stage

Hailing from Haryana, was part of patrol unit

Arjun Sharma

Jammu, August 19

A CRPF Inspector from Haryana, Kuldeep Kumar, was killed when a group of armed terrorists attacked a joint patrol party in Udhampur district on Monday.

The CRPF and the Special Operations Group of the J&K Police were fired upon by the terrorists hiding in bushes around 3 pm in a forest area near Dudu in Basantgarh in Udhampur district, said sources.

In an official statement, the police said, “During an area domination patrol at Dudu, an exchange of fire took place between terrorists and a joint team of the police and the CRPF. In the encounter, one Inspector of the CRPF suffered bullet injuries and was killed. The operation is continuing.”

The sources said the CRPF officer, belonging to 187th Battalion, was leading the patrol party. He was critically injured in the attack and succumbed later.

The sources said the joint patrol team immediately retaliated, but the terrorists were able to flee from the spot. Additional forces, including the Army, had been rushed to the area. They have started a cordon and search operation in the forest area.

An encounter had taken place in the Thanda Pani Khaned area under the jurisdiction of the Basantgarh police station on August 6. However, even then terrorists were able to flee from the area.

The attack comes amid preparation for the Assembly elections in J&K. On August 9, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar said in Jammu that the security forces were capable of handling the situation in the region. Today’s incident comes five days after an Army Captain was killed in an encounter in Doda district. The Jammu region has witnessed multiple attacks and encounters since July in which 11 security personnel have been killed. One terrorist was also killed during the Doda encounter.

The Basantgarh area falls on the infiltration route usually taken by Pakistan-trained terrorists. After entering India from Kathua, ultras start their journey towards mountainous areas through Basantgarh.

Intelligence agencies are concerned that terrorists were able to flee after recent encounters in Doda, Kishtwar and other districts of the Jammu region. With poll campaigning set to gain momentum in the region, the security agencies are on their toes to provide protection to members of political parties.

Jammu region on terror radar

• The Jammu region has seen multiple attacks by terrorists and subsequent encounters since July
• 11 security personnel killed in these incidents
• An Army Captain was killed in a gunfight in Doda district of Jammu belt five days ago

We need to broaden our vision and take the debate on education beyond what is deleted from or added to NCERT textbooks.

AS I reflect on the recent controversy over the reported removal of the Preamble to the Constitution from select NCERT textbooks, I realise once again the significance of the politics of knowledge. Possibly, it is not easy for the ruling regime to free itself from the alliance of religious nationalism and market fundamentalism, or the politics centred on the cult of a narcissistic/potentially authoritarian personality. Not surprisingly, you and I need not be surprised if the establishment feels somewhat uncomfortable with the grand egalitarian/secular ideal the Preamble articulates.

However, as a teacher with a keen interest in pedagogic practices, I do not want to remain confined merely to what has been deleted from school textbooks. My question is whether the prevalent pattern of classroom transaction is capable of making the young learner understand and internalise the significance of the Preamble, even if it is included in these textbooks. As teachers and educationists, we should reflect on this pedagogic question more seriously rather than getting carried away by the rhetoric of the debate between the government and the Opposition.

In this context, I feel tempted to refer to the experience of a workshop in which I got an opportunity (thanks to Vikash Sharma of the Shiksha Swaraj initiative) to interact with a group of Class-XI students in the hinterland of rural Bihar. Well, their NCERT text of political theory begins with the Preamble. I asked them to read and feel every word of the beautifully written Preamble: “We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic…” Well, they read it; and I was not sure whether they could make sense of it. In a culture of rote learning and exam-centric education, this grand vision of the kind of India we wish to make, I feared, has already been reduced to a mere ‘fact’ — soulless, and without any enchanting power, or just a two-mark question in the board examination. But then, I didn’t give up; I sought to intervene; and I wanted them to think and reflect. I asked them a simple question: “Do you see democracy in your family, or in your village?” They remained silent for quite some time. It was not surprising. The teacher’s monologue in the classroom in most of our schools, or the disappearance of lived experiences from our classrooms creates a culture of silence. Seldom do the students get an opportunity to see beyond the frozen words stored in the textbook, articulate their own experiences and ask new questions.

I was aware of this difficulty. Yet, I kept trying. And eventually, some of these students began to speak. “There is no democracy in my family. My father takes every decision. We have no voice,” a girl finally spoke. This gave me an opportunity to make them reflect on patriarchy and how it negates the spirit of democracy — democracy as dialogue, art of listening and the process of collective decision-making. Furthermore, I wanted to make them think whether democracy as a way of life can exist in the grand political system if it is not practised in our families, villages, schools and society. Yes, this conversation began to stimulate them. And this time a Dalit girl came forward and asserted confidently. “There is no equality in my village. We are looked down upon; we are stigmatised” — her voice convinced me that education is about asking critical questions and interrogating the taken-for-granted world. In the process of this free-floating conversation, they brought the experiences of lived realities and felt encouraged to see beyond bookish knowledge.

At this juncture, I asked them yet another question: “Do you think that the Preamble is just a garland of noble words, and the way our country operates is far from this grand vision?” Initially, they were silent or possibly confused. I kept waiting for their response. And then, a girl began to speak: “There is economic inequality in India; there is ‘Hindu vs Muslim politics’; and there is caste oppression. But then, India should try to become like what the Preamble visualises.” And this inspired me to make a couple of observations and conclude the session.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann felicitates Olympic bronze winning hockey team players with cash prize

Chandigarh, August 18

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday felicitated the Paris Olympic bronze winning hockey team players of the state with cash prize.Mann disbursed Rs 1 crore each to eight hockey players and Rs 15 lakh each to 11 other participants of Olympic Games.The Chief Minister said these players have brought laurels and immense pride for the entire country by this momentous win.He said the Indian Hockey is on the path of revival and that Punjab is mulling to hold a hockey league tournament between four world class teams in November.

CM FELICITATES MEMBERS OF INDIAN HOCKEY SQUAD FROM PUNJAB WITH CASH PRIZE

ASSERTS THAT THESE PLAYERS HAVE MADE THE ENTIRE COUNTRY PROUD WITH THEIR SPECTACULAR WIN

SAYS IT IS HEARTENING TO SEE THAT INDIAN HOCKEY IS ON PATH OF REVIVAL

ANNOUNCES TO MAKE THESE PLAYERS AS BRAND AMBASSADORS IN STATE’S WAR AGAINST DRUG

DONS NEW CAP BY INTERVIEWING THE PLAYERS ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCES DURING MATCHES

Chandigarh, August 18-

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Sunday felicitated the players of the state, with cash prize worth Rs 1 crore (each), who were part of the Bronze medal winning Indian Hockey team in the recently concluded Paris Olympics.

In his address, the Chief Minister said that it is a historic occasion as these sons of soil who have brought laurels for the state and country are being honored. He said that these players have brought immense pride and satisfaction for the entire country by this momentous win. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that he had personally watched every hockey match of the team and the spectacular performance by these players have made us all feel proud.

The Chief Minister said that it was elated to see the Indian team defeating Australia after a gap of 52 years adding that equally superb were the matches against Spain, England and others. He said that winning a medal by the team is like a dream come true for every countrymen and the best thing is that the team was led by Captain Harmanpreet, who steered the team to victory. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that this leadership capability was outstanding and it led to the team bagging a bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.

The Chief Minister said that Harman scored 10 goals alone in the Olympics adding that he is elated that the state government is today felicitating these gems. He said that the entire country is today extending best wishes to these players and are overwhelmed over their feat. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that Indian Hockey is on the path of revival adding that Punjab is mulling to hold a league tournament between four world class teams of Hockey in the month of November.The Chief Minister said that the state government is working wholeheartedly for the promotion of sports and no stone will be left unturned for it. He said that the third edition of the Kheda Watan Punjab Dian will commence from August 28th, which will act as a catalyst to promote sports in the state. Bhagwant Singh Mann further said that the state government will develop sports clusters like Football in Mahilpur area, Boxing in Sangrur, Hockey in Jalandhar, Athletes in Ludhiana and others to promote sports in the state.

The Chief Minister said that apart from giving cash prizes and jobs to the medal winner players, the state will also explore the feasibility of giving promotions in jobs already given to them. Donning a new role, Bhagwant Singh Mann also interviewed the players regarding their experiences in the field during the matches. During interaction with Harmanpreet, German and others, he lauded the amazing sports spirit exhibited by the players during the matches that ultimately led to the victory of the team.

The Chief Minister said that the entire country is indebted to all these players for restoring the pristine glory of the national game- Hockey. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that the words fall short for describing the historic feat of the Indian Hockey team. He assured the team members that no stone will be left unturned for this noble cause adding that these players will be made brand ambassadors for the state’s crusade against the menace of drugs.

On the occasion, Captain of Indian Hockey squad Harmanpreet Singh lauded the Chief Minister for providing congenial atmosphere for promotion of sports. He said that the felicitation by the Punjab government to medal winners will go a long way in further boosting sports in the state. Harmanpreet Singh said that it will further help in weaning away the youth of the state from the menace of drugs.

Indian Hockey player Mandeep Singh also thanked the Chief Minister for boosting sports in the state. He also promised the Chief Minister that next time the color of the medal will change in the Olympics. Mandeep Singh also envisioned that next time the number of players in Olympics contingent from state will also enhance considerably.

The Chief Minister disbursed Rs 1 crore each to eight Hockey Players and Rs 15 lakh each to 11 other participants of Olympic Games.